Guatemala SL28 Winey Natural from Plan del Guayabo Estate

Ever bought a bag labeled ‘New Oriente’ and wondered where your coffee really came from? For decades, much of eastern Guatemala’s high-elevation coffee was bulked, blended, and sold under vague regional names—with little traceability and muted flavors. That’s changing. Thanks to dedicated estates and progressive trade partners, single-origin microlots like this one are bringing real place, variety, and process back to your cup.

The standout? A rare SL28 processed as a winey natural from Guatemala’s remote Plan del Guayabo Estate—part of the historically overlooked New Oriente region—at 1675 metres above sea level. This custom microlot delivers intense tropical and wine-like sweetness through careful harvest and drying.

Why New Oriente Was Once a Coffee Blind Spot

The New Oriente region sits in eastern Guatemala, bordering Honduras—a long haul from the more accessible Antigua or Huehuetenango. For years, local farmers had little experience growing coffee in such steep, high-altitude terrain. Buyers would purchase coffee cherry from smallholders, then mix and resell it through layers of middlemen. By the time it reached global markets as generic SHB (Strictly Hard Bean) under the ‘New Oriente’ label, it had lost origin identity and distinctive flavor. That began to shift when progressive farms and international partners started focusing on traceable, high-quality microlots.

Plan del Guayabo: A Family-Run Specialty Farm

Plan del Guayabo, whose name means ‘Guava Plain’ in Spanish due to the abundance of guava trees, lies near the Volcán de Suchitán. Since 1990, the Donado family—including current owner Mr. Benjamin Donado—has cultivated coffee on this rugged volcanic-soil slope. What began as a pioneering effort in a coffee-unknown zone has evolved into a specialist farm producing varied high-quality microlots with different varieties and processing methods. The estate is now a key player in revitalizing the New Oriente’s reputation for distinct, traceable coffees.

This Microlot: SL28, Naturally Processed for Winey Complexity

This particular lot is an SL28 variety—a rare cultivar in Central America—processed using a custom winey natural (sun-dried with cherry) method developed in close collaboration with trading partners. The goal: enhance sweetness, fruit depth, and aromatic complexity while preserving the unique profile of this high-altitude SL28. Harvest standards and drying protocols—including turn frequency and drying duration—were fine-tuned to achieve the desired winey character. The result is a vividly fruity, sweet, and complex cup unlike typical SHB blends.

Flavor Profile: Pineapple, dried apricot, red wine, preserved lemon peel, muscatel, green tea, cinnamon spice. The cup brims with rich sweetness and a smoky prune-like depth.

Guatemala Plan del Guayabo Estate SL28 – Tasting Notes & Specs

Country: Guatemala
Region: New Oriente
Estate: Plan del Guayabo
Producer: Mr. Benjamin Donado
Processing Method: Winey Natural (sun-dried with cherry)
Variety: SL28
Altitude: 1675 metres
Flavor Notes: Pineapple, dried apricot, red wine

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the New Oriente coffee region in Guatemala?

The New Oriente is Guatemala’s easternmost coffee-growing area, bordering Honduras. Historically remote and hard to access compared to famous regions like Antigua, it has only recently begun producing traceable, high-quality microlots with distinct identities.

What is special about the SL28 coffee variety?

SL28 is a Kenyan-origin coffee variety prized for its exceptional cup quality, high acidity, and complex fruit flavors. It is rare in Central America, making appearances only in select microlots like this one from Guatemala’s Plan del Guayabo Estate.

How is winey natural processing different?

Winey natural (or winey sun-dried) processing involves drying coffee cherries in the sun with the fruit still intact, often with careful management of turning and drying time to boost wine-like sweetness, fruitiness, and body. This lot involved specific adjustments to achieve those traits.

Where is the Plan del Guayabo Estate located?

The estate is located near the Volcán de Suchitán in Guatemala’s New Oriente region, at an altitude of 1675 metres. It is known for producing high-quality microlots with various processing methods and coffee varieties.

Why is traceability important in specialty coffee?

Traceability ensures you know the exact origin—farm, variety, and process—of your coffee. It allows for more consistent quality, supports fair pricing for farmers, and connects you to the specific conditions that shape the cup’s flavor.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Exploring SL28 & Natural Profiles

If you’re drawn to the rare SL28 variety and winey natural process of the Plan del Guayabo Estate, you’ll likely enjoy other complex, fruit-forward FrontStreet beans. Their Ethiopia Huakui (Gedeb) offers intense strawberry, citrus, mango, and floral tones typical of top Ethiopian naturals. For something more winey and structured, try their Colombia Sidra from Huila, with notes of grape, apricot, and stone fruit balanced by a juicy sweetness. Both showcase the kind of vibrant, origin-specific profiles that microlot enthusiasts love. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.